World Health Officials and the CDC have taken the unusual step of advising pregnant women and those thinking of becoming pregnant to avoid visiting areas which have Zika Virus outbreaks.

View our Zika Virus Timeline of events from the discovery of the Zika Virus in 1947 to the present day. View up to date information on the spread of the Zika Virus and the latest affected countries. The Zika Virus has exploded worldwide and our timeline keeps you posted.

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A new threat has emerged to the New World from the African continent. The latest in a long series of recent viruses, which includes the dengue and chikungunya viruses, is now on the verge of threatening the entire tropical region.

The Zika Virus, also known as Zika Fever, is
a pretty much unknown virus and was discovered in 1947 in a febrile Rhesus monkey in the Zika Forest, Uganda at a virus research field station, funded by the World Health Organization.

To date, there is no known cure or vaccine for the Zika virus and no known deaths have been attributed as of January 2016 due to Zikv.

The latest outbreak of the
virus began in Brazil in April 2015 and is considered to have been a consequence of The World Cup Finals held in the country in 2014. Health authorities are
very concerned with an apparent rise in cases of Microcephaly which coincided with the arrival of the previously unknown Zika virus to the region. 4,443 suspected cases have been reported as of April 2016.
There's also a chance that Zika causes Guillain-Barre syndrome, a very rare neurological syndrome that attacks the muscles and can cause paralysis.

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus which is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, it was first isolated....

Singapore is the latest country to receive a travel advisory for pregnant women and women trying to conceive due to the arrival of the Zika Virus. 82 cases of the virus have now been confirmed. The authorities are advising pregnant women and their partners to take a free Zika Virus Test.

It is feared that the Zika Virus may affect the tourism industry with over 8 million tourist arrivals for 2016. Australia has already issued a travel advisory for Singapore with more countries expected to follow.

The number of cases of confirmed locally transmitted Zika Virus has now spread to two neighborhoods in Miami. Pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant are again advised to avoid these areas due to the danger of Microcephaly posed to unborn babies.

The majority of the Zika Virus cases are believed to have contracted the virus from Miamiís Wynwood neighborhood and the South Beach section of Miami Beach.

The local population and visitors to these areas have been advised by the CDC to use insect repellent, condoms, mosquito nets and other items to help prevent mosquito-borne and sexual transmissions of the Zika Virus.

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The Caribbean Island of Puerto Rico has been declared a public health emergency by the American Government over the Zika Virus.
Puerto Rico, a U.S territory of 3.5 million people, has recorded nearly 11,000 confirmed cases of Zika Virus which includes over 1,000 pregnant women.
Sylvia Burwell, Secretary at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services stated that Puerto Rico will probably be the worst affected state due to the warm tropical climate, ideal for spreading the Zika Virus. The CDC had already advised pregnant women and women trying to conceive to avoid visiting the Caribbean Island due to the dangers associated with Zika Virus.

The CDC has issued a travel advisory to pregnant women and their partners for a town in Miami U.S.A. This follows an outbreak in Wynwood, where 14 people are confirmed to have contracted the Zika Virus after being bitten by local mosquitoes.

The Zika Virus was confirmed after urine and blood samples were taken from the individuals which then tested positive for the Virus. This comes in the aftermath of 4 people testing positive on Thursday of last week.

The CDC confirmed that there are 320 pregnant women in the U.S with the Zika Virus and 279 in U.S. territories. All of the cases in the U.S contracted the Zika Virus whilst traveling in Zika Virus contaminated countries, primarily from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Thus far there have been no local transmissions of the Zika Virus in the U.S although the country is at the height of the Mosquito season. Many health professionals have implied that the mosquito density in the U.S is not high enough for any widespread outbreak of the Zika Virus in that country.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has increased the advice given to expectant mothers and women trying to get pregnant to abstain from sex or use protection for at least eight weeks after returning from a Zika Virus infected area. This is an increase of 4 weeks from the original guidelines.

The WHO stated that this is due to the fact that the Zika Virus may remain in bodily fluids for longer than previously thought. They also advise couples trying to conceive to wait 6 months after returning from an area infected with Zika Virus.

The Caribbean Island of Grenada is the latest Caribbean Island to be added to the growing list of countries with Zika Virus outbreaks.

The CDC posted an advisory for people travelling to the 'Spice Isle' to take 'advanced precautions' from being bitten by mosquitos. The CDC has also advised pregnant women and women trying to conceive to avoid areas with Zika Virus outbreaks due to the risk of Microcephaly, a disease which affects the normal growth of the brain in babies and which has been linked to the Zika Virus.

The CDC announced on Monday that Saint Barthelmy, an island in the Caribbean, is the latest casualty in the current Zika outbreak which began in Brazil in April 2015.

"Because Zika virus is primarily spread by mosquitoes, CDC recommends that travelers to Saint Barthelemy protect themselves from mosquito bites." A spokesperson for the CDC said in a statement on Monday.

For a list of countries in the region with outbreaks of Zika Virus, click button...

The Zika Virus has posed another headache for health officials worldwide. Health researchers have detected the Zika virus in Aedes albopictus, commonly known as the 'Asian tiger' mosquito.

This new finding effectively increases the dangers posed by the Zika Virus to the Americas. The spread of the Asian Tiger mosquito is greater in the U.S than the Aedes aegypti Mosquito which was considered to pose the major threat.

There are some precautions that you can make when traveling to countries with Zika Virus outbreaks

Stay and sleep in screened rooms and beds or air-conditioned rooms.

Cover as much of your body as possible, especially ankles

Use insect repellents containing DEET or picaridin. Always read instructions before using, especially if using on younger children.....

The rise in mosquito-borne tropical viruses new to the region seems to be a growing trend which has many health authorities very concerned.

The recent spread of the Chikungunya virus had never been seen in the Western Hemisphere until it's arrival in 2013.

Two years later the Zika virus has made it's appearance and shares many of the characteristics of the Chikungunya Virus, which leads some medical experts to believe that misdiagnosis may have occurred in some of the previous Chikungunya outbreaks.

Zika Virus Map of Countries affected with outbreaks of the Zika Virus are listed below. This is a list of countries with Zika Virus outbreaks in the last 9 months as of 1st May 2016. Countries in YELLOW have low outbreaks of Zika Virus. Countries in RED have higher outbreaks of Zika Virus.

1. American Samoa

2. Aruba

Symptoms of Zika Virus

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the main vector that transmits the Zika Virus and fever to humans when 'biting' Their saliva contains the virus that passes into humans when they feed on blood.

Infection is reported to be symptomatic in 18% of cases only. When symptomatic, Zika virus infection usually presents an influenza-like syndrome, often mistaken for other arboviral infections like dengue or chikungunya.

1. A low-grade fever (between 37.8 c and 38.5 c.

2. Anthralgia, pain most notably in the small joints

3. Myalgia, pain in the muscles of the body

4. Headache

Latest News and Videos on the Zika Virus

Latest Zika Virus News - 2nd August 2016

An outbreak of Zika Virus has occurred in a town of Miami, U.S.A. The CDC has issued a travel advisory for pregnant women and their partners to avoid the area. This is the first time that the CDC has issued a travel advisory for an American city for concerns over an infectious disease.

It is speculated that a local mosquito had bitten an infected person who had traveled abroad and returned with the Zika Virus in their blood.

1947

The Zika Virus first comes to the attention of the world in 1947. A Rhesus monkey living in the Zika Forest (hence the name)
in Uganda, contracted an unknown febrile illness. Scientists isolated a new transmissible agent from the febrile Rhesus monkey
which was then named Zika Virus or ZIKV.

1948

Virus isolated in mosquitoes (Aedes africanus) in the same Zika Forest in Uganda in 1948.

1954

First case of Zika Virus infection is found in a human in the country of Nigeria in 1954. There are other dates reported in some documents, but 1954 is generally considered to be the earliest known case.

1955 - 2006

From its discovery until 2006, confirmed cases of Zika virus infection were rare, although cases were reported during the 60's in Africa and South-East Asia. Analysis suggested that the African and Asian strains emerged as two distinct lineages.

2007

The first outbreak outside of Africa and Asia was documented on Yap Island in the Federal States of Micronesia, in 2007.

The virus was characterized by rash, conjunctivitis, and arthralgia, which was initially thought to be dengue, Chikungunya or Ross River disease. However, serum samples from patients in the acute phase of illness contained RNA of Zika virus. There were 49 confirmed cases, 59 probable cases, no deaths and no hospitalizations.

This outbreak highlighted the potential of the virus as an emerging pathogen and studies provided evidence that the outbreak strain had been introduced from South-East Asia.

2008

Clinical and serologic evidence indicate that 2 American scientists contracted Zika virus infections while working in Senegal in 2008. One of the scientists transmitted this arbovirus to his wife after his return home. Direct contact is implicated as the transmission route, most likely as a sexually transmitted infection since none of their four children contracted the virus.

At this point in medical research, their experience presents only circumstantial evidence towards sexual transmission of the Zika Virus. Additionally, this is the first and only documented case of a 'mosquito-borne STD' and there is no evidence of other arboviruses behaving similarly.

2013

The largest outbreak of the Zika Virus began in October 2013 in French Polynesia, South Pacific with an estimated 28,000 infections. Outbreaks also occurred in Easter Island, the Cook Islands and New Caledonia.

2015

In May 2015, the public health authorities of Brazil confirmed ZIKV infection in the north-eastern part of the country. Healthcare authorities confirmed that a previously unknown disease affecting around 500 patients with flu-like symptoms followed by rash and arthralgia was indeed an ongoing outbreak of Zika fever.

Local authorities linked the outbreak to an increased flow of foreign visitors prompted by the 2014 FIFA World Cup, coupled with the large population of insect vectors such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes that inhabit the region.

16th Oct

On 16 October 2015, the first cases of ZIKV infections were reported in Colombia, with nine confirmed cases in the Bolivar department. From 16 October to 21 November, Colombian authorities reported 578 confirmed cases and 2 635 suspected cases..

12th Nov

On 12 November 2015, the Suriname authorities reported five cases of ZIKV through IHR.

24th Nov

On 24 November 2015, the health authorities of French Polynesia reported an unusual increase of at least 17 cases of central nervous system malformations in foetuses and infants during 2014-2015.

The cases are reported from pregnancies that occurred during the ZIKV infection outbreak in French Polynesia (September 2013 to March 2014) at a gestational age of less than six months.

None of the pregnant women described clinical signs of ZIKV infection, but the four tested were found positive by IgG serology assays for flavivirus, suggesting a possible asymptomatic ZIKV infection.

Further serological investigations are ongoing. Based on the temporal correlation of these cases with the ZIKV epidemic, the health authorities of French Polynesia hypothesise that ZIKV infection may be associated with these abnormalities if mothers are infected during the first or second trimester of pregnancy.

On 24 November 2015, the El Salvador IHR National Focal Point (NFP) gave notification of three confirmed autochthonous cases of ZIKV infection. On 3 December, media reported 240 ZIKV cases across the country.

26th Nov

On 26 November 2015, Mexico authorities acknowledged three ZIKV cases, including two autochthonous cases reported from Nuevo Leon and Chiapas. The imported cases had recently travelled to Colombia.

27th Nov

On 27 November 2015, the Paraguay IHR National Focal Point (NFP) reported the confirmation of six ZIKV cases in the city of Pedro Caballero - close to the border with Brazil.

On 27 November 2015, the Venezuela IHR National Focal Point (NFP) gave notification of seven ZIKV autochthonous suspected cases.

1st Dec

On 1 December 2015, media, quoting authorities, reported 17 suspected cases of ZIKV infection in Guatemala, 14 of which were among hospital employees. Blood samples have been collected and sent to the US for analysis.

3rd Dec

On 3 December 2015, the Ministry of Health of Panama reported three autochthonous cases of Zika virus infection. All three cases are residents of the district of Ailigandi, Guna Yala (north-east).

26th Dec

26th December, The Island of Martinique becomes the latest country in the region to confirm reports of the autochthonous or local transmission of the mosquito borne Zika virus. The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), says the French speaking Caribbean nation is the 11th country in the Americas to report the virus this year and the 12th to report local transmission.

31st Dec

The Puerto Rico Department of Health reported today the first locally acquired case of Zika virus infection in Puerto Rico. Zika was confirmed in a resident of Puerto Rico with no known travel history.

16th Jan 2016

Barbados, Haiti and Guyana have all confirmed cases of Zika Virus in their respective countries. On Thursday 14th January 2016 Haiti and Guyana confirmed cases of Zika Virus and on Friday 15th January, Barbados also confirmed 3 cases of Zikv.

17th Jan 2016

The Center for disease control issues advisory to pregnant women and those trying to conceive to postpone travel to countries that are experiencing Zika virus outbreaks in South America and The Caribbean. The countries mentioned are: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

The advisory was issued after a woman in Hawaii gave birth to a baby with microcephaly and evidence of Zika virus infection. The mother was living in Brazil prior to the birth and they most likely contracted Zikv at that time.

01st Feb 2016

The World Health Organisation director Margaret Chan has declared that the Zika virus constitute a public health emergency of international concern.

It is expected that this will increase funding to find a cure for this virus and also to assist in finding the cause for the large numbers of babies born with abnormally small heads in Brazil. It will also put resources behind a massive effort to prevent pregnant women becoming infected and, through mosquito control, stop the virus spreading.

Chan stated that "Members of the committee agreed that the situation meets the conditions for a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted this advice," she said. "It is important to realise that when the evidence first becomes available of such a serious condition like microcephaly and other congenital abnormalities, we need to take action, including precautionary measures." continued Chan.

02nd Feb 2016

The first case of Zika Virus transmission was reported in Texas, USA this week. It is likely that the virus was contracted through sexual contact, said local health officials.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed it was the first U.S. Zika case in someone who had not traveled abroad in the current outbreak, said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden. It was reported that the individual contracted the Zika Virus through sex with someone who had been to Argentina. World Health Organization officials stated that this is potentially an alarming development.

09th Feb 2016

Health officials in Colombia have announced the deaths of three people who had been infected with the Zika Virus and subsequently developed Guillain-Barre syndrome. Alejandro Gaviria, the Colombian health minister, stated that there was a "causal connection" between Zika, the Guillain-Barre disorder and the three deaths. Six further deaths are under investigation for a possible link to Zika Virus.

Approximately 100 Colombians who are suffering with the Guillain-Barre syndrome also show symptoms of the Zika Virus said a spokesperson for Colombia's National Health Institute.

18th Feb 2016

Physicians in Crop Sprayed Towns (PCST), a group of physicians in Brazil, have claimed that the Zika Virus is not responsible for the dramatic rise in cases of Microcephaly. The tenfold increase of newborn babies with Microcephaly in Brazil, has alarmed Health officials around the world. Although the Zika Virus has never been officially linked with Microcephaly, there was strong suggestion from the World Health organisation and the CDC that the virus was the culprit.

PCST claims that a popular larvacide, pyriproxyfen to be the actual suspect. The larvacide was used in Brazilian water supplies to control the spread of mosquitoes in certain areas. These areas now coincide with the areas with high cases of microcephaly.
Columbia, a country that did not use this brand of larvacide, has not reported any cases of microcephaly although they have many cases of the Zika Virus. Pyriproxyten is manufactured by a subsidiary of Monsanto, and disrupts the natural growth of mosquito larvae and was added to the Brazilian water supply in 2014.

28th Feb 2016

The U.S Centers for Disease Control have advised pregnant women or women trying to conceive to avoid areas with Zika Virus outbreaks. They have also advised pregnant women to reconsider going to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil if they had planned to do so. Both women and their partners should be very cautious concerning the Zika Virus after it was discovered that the virus may be also be passed through sexual contact as well as the traditional route via the aedes aegypti mosquito.

The CDC confirmed that there were 2 cases of Zika Virus contracted via sexual contact and that there were an additional 14 cases being investigated in the U.S. The French Institute for Public Health Surveillance also confirmed a case of Zika Virus in France via sexual transmission.

14th Apr 2016

On 14th April 2016 Dr Tom Frieden, the head of the CDC, confirmed that the Zika Virus does indeed cause Microcephaly and several other birth defects in babies. He stated that 'This study marks a turning point in the Zika outbreak. It is now clear that the virus causes microcephaly'. The Zika virus was previously beleived to have caused the birth defects seen in newborn babies, characterized by unusually small heads, and this has now been confirmed by the CDC.